Jace Simens
To say I felt like shit was an understatement. I'd gotten sick from swimming in the lake a few days with Sam and Kendrick but it was definitely worth it. I'd told them about how I was at least into dudes, but nothing about Ethan. I'd leave that up to him.
The worse part of being sick was I couldn't even see Ethan. He was swamped with practice and there was no way out. He even had Sunday practices, his coach was definitely over working them.
"Jace get up or you'll get bed sores." My dad said walking into my room.
"I'm not eighty." I coughed out sitting up to look at him properly.
"Feeling any better?"
"No." I deadpanned at the walk in front of me.
"Mentally?" He asked sitting at the edge of my bed.
"A little, I get really bad at night when it's dark and nothing else to focus on." I admitted.
"Oh? How often does that happen?"
"Every night." He scooted closer to me before pulling me into a tight hug.
"You'll get through this, you're the strongest person I know." He said as I laid my head on his chest.
"I hope so, it hurts so much sometimes." I muttered holding back tears.
"I just came up here to say, whatever you do, I one hundred percent support you. I won't lie when I'd first realized it, I'd been a little disappointed, but quickly realized you're still my beautiful son no matter what. You deserve whatever makes you happy, and if that's the Belle boy, then you take it and run with it." He said staring at me intensely before pulling me back into a hug. "Not literally though, I'd ground you until your ninety." He said making me chuckle.
"I love you dad." I smiled in his embrace.
"I don't think I've ever heard you say that, this Belle boy must be good news." I chuckled to him before answering his unasked question.
"Definitely. The best there is."
We'd let go from the hug before talking about random things after that. Sports, my future, school, even girls, though that conversation stopped quite quickly. My dad and I had never been close, I usually never let him-or anyone else for that matter in, so it felt like we were catching up on so many missed years. We'd obviously known about everything being said seeing as we did live in the same house, but now everything was in a new light. It was as if we'd blocked out what we'd known just to talk about it now.
We'd talked for about two hours until Jayla came in with a tray of snacks. "Mom told me to give you guys these. She said your gossiping, but that obviously can't be true, you can't gossip without me." She said a bit offended.
"Oh yes, we were definitely talking about the latest Kardashian scandal." My dad said rolling his eyes. This man is full of surprises, I didn't even know he knew who they were.
"Oh my god, Kourtney and Kim fighting was crazy, they-" she started on a long rant about how the sisters were basically brawling. Dad and I listened attentively, actually intrigued in the story. Mom even came up after a while listening also with a smile on her face the whole time. I looked around my room smiling brightly, we'd definitely needed family time more, this felt so good. I was finding new sources of happiness everyday and it was only making the sadness, and hurt dissipate by the second.
-
"You stink." I said pulling Ethan close to me kissing him softly. He'd snuck away from practice to meet me in the locker room. We'd only gotten to see each other during school, or during his practice. By the time he'd gotten home all he did was eat and sleep, I stayed over last night but we didn't do anything. He was pretty much drained.
"I don't smell, that bad." He said pulling away from the kiss. "I see you and Usif don't hate each other."
"Oh yeah, he'd apologized to me, and I did the same. We're kind cool now? I don't know, I just know after years of hating him, he's at least tolerable now." Ethan laughed hugging me close to his sweaty practice jersey making me scrunch up my nose.
"You really need a shower."
"I've still got an hour left of practice, you should watch me." He suggested and I nodded. I'd already knew how good he was, I'd been to a couple of his games and he's outshone all the other players on the team. Even the quarterback-but maybe that was because I hadn't watched anyone but him...
He led me out of the locker room going through an exit I'd never seen. It led straight to the field and I looked around seeing everyone look at us. I noticed our hands were linked and I blushed a little feeling embarrassed. I hadn't expecting to express our relationship to the public like this.
"Come on Belle. We haven't gotten all day!" The coach yelled to him making Ethan groan I'm annoyed. He looked down at me pecking my lips once making me go even redder before promising to be back. I smiled nodding heading to the beach area to get a watch at him.
He'd look so natural, he moved skillfully, and was no doubt the best player on the team, and that's not biased because he's my boyfriend. Wow. He is my boyfriend, that's kinda of crazy. It's been a week and I still can't wrap my finger around that fact.
They practiced for about another two hours, even though it was supposed to end and hour before, but the coach got annoyed because Tom kept missing his catches. I smiled as Ethan walker over to me huffing out of breathe.
"You smell worse, got take a shower then talk to me." I said plugging my nose.
"Oh you love my smell. Even if it's clouded by must and sweat." He said coming closer to me only making everything so much worse.
"I'm serious!" I said pushing him away laughing.
"Fine. Give me fifteen minutes." He said trudging away. I giggled to myself again before stuffing my face in my phone scrolling through my time line.
"You make that boy a whole lot better." I head a voice ahead of me. I looked up to see his coach and smiled at his comment.
"He was already close to perfect." I said mostly to myself.
"You know, he's never played that good before. It's like he was showing off just for you." He said nudging my shoulder a little. The coach and I had always been friendly, he was probably my favorite teacher. I'd had gym freshman year and he kept me from getting in a lot of trouble.
"Was he?" I questioned honestly.
"Definitely. Whatever your doing, keep it up. And you seem better now too, you're definitely not as hot headed and immature." He'd laughed a little. I had gone through a lot of towel boy duties for him because he'd gotten me out of suspension after suspension.
"Yeah, his mature ways, and scolding definitely got to me." I said honestly. I had definitely been acting more like a student, than the delinquent I was two months ago. The coach smiled at me one more time before patting my shoulder walking away to yell at some kids sitting in the bleachers.
"I knew something got into Ethan." One of the players said addressing me.
"I think it's the other way around." I laughed a bottle before realizing what'd I'd said, then realizing I didn't care.
"Spare me the details." He said sitting in the bench by me. We sat in a comfortable silence before Ethan came back smirking towards me.
"Better?" He smiled down as I stood up to greet him.
"Definitely." He leaned down to kiss me softly pulling back after a few seconds. Just a small kiss, that didn't mean my cheeks didn't feel like hot lava had been poured on them.
"Ew, love." The guy that was on the bench by me blurt he's making us both blush. We hadn't used the word yet but I was sure I loved him. Maybe it was easier to fall in love with him because he's been my friends for so long, or maybe I'd always loved him and just never knew it. Either way, I was happy he was the one.
"Hush it Brandon." He giggled pulling me into him. He was really taking every ounce of my masculinity away, and I realized that when I'd cuddled into his hold.
"Whatever, make sure you're strapped!" He said as we walked off making laugh a bit.
"My dad did tell me to buy condoms." I admitted though I'd still been holding that twenty in my phone case.
"I think I like the mess. It's nice seeing me come out of you." I literally visibly cringed at the thought.
"I told you not to say stuff like that unless we're in bed. Sheesh, you nasty fucker." We had reached his car by now and I was getting a call from my mother. I had already texting her I'd stay with Ethan for his practice but now I guess I had to rush home.
And bring Ethan with you!!! Xoxoxo
"My mom uses xo, way to much. And she wants you to come over?" I told him.
"If I go to yours I won't get back up to go home. I'll just stay over." He said pecking my lips before pulling off. I smiled to him starting to play a random game on my phone for the rest of the ride.
-
Cute little filler chapter, nothing much. Just gives a better perspective of Jace's home life, and a tinsie bit of Ethan football talent. I'll probably make a chapter more about that, but I don't know, I'm not really good with sports so I'd have to do a lot of research on that.